I was pleasantly surprised by Lords of Shadow. Bringing Castlevania into the 3rd dimension is usually considered an act of blasphemy and punished accordingly with poor sales, but MercurySteam (with assistance from KojiPro) scoffs at the notion that you can’t let Castlevania escape the second dimension. Lords of Shadow is depature for sure, but it carries enough references and nuance to lay safe claim to its lineage. It’s Castlevania in the same way Mario 64 was a sequel to Mario World, and while it’s still pretty early in the game to validate that assumption, I can’t deny the feeling I got when I set the controller down.
Considerable influence seems drawn from God of War. Combo heavy and focused on brutalizing hoards bloody, it wouldn’t be unfair to say combat made up most of the demo. Whips were not unlike Kratos’ chains, and the dodging with the right stick (while holding a shoulder button) felt awfully familiar as well. Combat took priority over exploration and, while I was told there would be an incentive for backtracking, you won’t ever be required to re-explore ground you’ve already covered. That’s kind of a large pill to swallow , Castlevania’s backbone has frequently been its vast exploration, but I’m willing to concede a foundation in favor of progress, especially when it seemed as smooth as Lords of Shadow.
But don’t take that to mean Lords of Shadow felt alien. Gabriel Belmont carries the weight of his last name, and the series rich mythos bleeds through every word of the narrative (Patrick Stewert, in fact, narrates all the bits of story that arrive in between level s). Gabriel’s wife has been murderd by monsters, and it’s up to him to rescue her from slipping into the shadows of something apparently far worse than death. Ordinarilty I’d scoff at bland mythology, but Castlevania sort of gets a pass because, well, it’s always been like that. And that’s what people wanted, right?
Either way there were a few other mechanics worth mentioning. At several times, usually whenever Gabriel needed to travel, a talking white horse materialized and took me on what I could only describe as the scariest parts of Willow. Giant warthog creators chased me down a linear path and threatened my existence, which would have been a problem had I not beat the snot out of them with my whips.
A few other bits worth mentioning. Quick-time events dominated the later part of a boss battle. A considerable number of moves can be unlocked as you progress in the game. Light and dark magic are apparently going to play a significant role in both mechanics and narrative. And, finally, it takes place in 1047 for series chronology buffs.
